CRITICAL READING

(Presentation Script)

USE LIVELY VOICE, PLEASE.

INTRO SPIELS
Good day! This is a converted presentation about critical reading for the subject
Purposive Communication.
PRESENTATION PROPER
PRESENTER 1:
Let us know first what is critical reading!
According to the Massey University in New Zealand, critical reading is the process
of reading that goes beyond just understanding a text, and it involves:
- carefully considering and evaluating the reading
- identifying the reading's strengths and implications
- identifying the reading's weaknesses and flaws
- looking at the 'big picture' and deciding how the reading fits into the greater
academic context
Another definition presented by the University of Leicester in England is that,
critical reading is a form of language analysis that does not take the given text at
face value, but involves a deeper examination of the claims put forth as well as the
supporting points and possible counterarguments. The ability to reinterpret and
reconstruct for improved clarity and readability is also a component of critical
reading. The identification of possible ambiguities and flaws in the author's
reasoning, in addition to the ability to address them comprehensively, are essential
to this process. Critical reading, much like academic writing, requires the linkage
of evidential points to corresponding arguments.
As acknowledged by a number of scholars and wordsmiths from the story "The
Winter of Our Discontent" by John Steinback in 1961, "a story has as many
versions as it has readers. Everyone takes what he wants or can from it and thus
changes it to his measure. Some pick out parts and reject the rest, some strain the
story through their mesh of prejudice, some paint it with their own delight."
Critical reading also employs certain process, models, questions and theories that
result in enhance clarity and comprehension. There is more involved both in effort
and understanding in critical reading as compared to merely skimming a text.
You see, there's a big difference between "skimming" a text and "critical reading".
If a reader "skims" the text, superficial characteristics and information are as far as
the reader goes, while critical reading gets at "deep structure", if there is such a
thing apart from the superficial text, that is, logical consistency, tone, organization,
and a number of other very important sounding terms.
PRESENTER 2:
Now, do you wanna be a critical reader? Wait, do you know what it takes to be a
critical reader? Well, don't worry, pals, here are some tips for you to be one!
FIRST TIP, be prepared to be part of the writer's audience. And what do we mean
by this? We meant, having a little research about the author, his/her history, and
the text, and the author's target audience. After all, authors design texts for specific
audiences, and becoming a member of the target audience makes it easier to get at
the author's purpose.
SECOND TIP, be prepared to read with an open mind. Being one-sided and close-
minded is a big NO-NO! Critical readers seek knowledge; they do not "rewrite" a
work to suit their own personalities. Your task as a critical reader is to read what is
on the page, giving the writer a fair chance to develop ideas and allowing yourself
to reflect thoughtfully, objectively on the text.
THIRD TIP, consider the title. This may seem obvious, but the title often provides
clues to the writer's attitude, goals, personal viewpoint, or approach. It is important
to consider everything, most importantly the title. Why? Because it contains the
gist of the text. It will give you some overview as to what you're going to read.
FOURTH TIP, read slowly. Remember the cliché phrase, "slowly but surely"?
That's what it meant by our 4th tip. Slow down and just take your time to read for
better comprehension. No pressure! You have all the time. It's not as if you have a
deadline to follow. Again, this appears obvious, but it is a factor in a "close
reading." By slowing down, you will make more connections within the text.
PRESENTER 3:
FIFTH TIP, use the dictionary and other appropriate reference works. The author
might use deep words and it will be good to have something you can look to if
there's some words that you find hard to understand, like a thesaurus, or look at the
etymology or origin of the word in Greek, Hebrew, Latin or any ancient languages.
You know, vocabulary is a good in take of knowledge. Every word is important,
and if part of the text is thick with technical terms, it is doubly important to know
how the author is using them.
SIXTH TIP, take down notes. I know some of us are too lazy to write and
eventually, hates writing, but if you want to be a critical reader then be fond of
writing from now on! Writing while reading aids your memory in many ways,
especially by making a link that is unclear in the text concrete in your own writing.
Jot down marginal notes, underline and highlight, write down ideas in a notebook,
do whatever works for your own personal taste. Note for yourself the main ideas,
the thesis, the author's main points to support the theory.
AND FOR THE LAST, BUT DEFINITELY NOT THE LEAST TIP, keep reading
a journal. In addition to note-taking, it is often helpful to regularly record your
responses and thoughts in a more permanent place that is yours to consult. By
developing a habit of reading and writing in conjunction, both skills will improve.
A while back, we learnt about on how to be a critical reader, and now, it's time to
know some tips in reading critically.
One! Recognize author's point and the support for that point. Just like in our
second tip, as a critical reader performing a critical reading, be open to new ideas
and catefully recognize the main idea, for it is the focus of the text. You should
also look for supporting ideas. Why? Because it is will be your instrument for you
to look for the main idea. Wihtout it, the main idea will remain just the main idea.
Two! Evaluate an author's support for a point and determine whether it's solid or
not. If you're a critical reader, you are given the ability to recognize and separate a
fact from an opinion and inference. With this, you could easily know the credibility
of the author. In relation to this, detecting propaganda especially in advertisements
or ads is also a key tip in critical reading.
PRESENTER 4:
Critical reading also entails strategies for it to be done successfully. Here are some
of the strategies that one should consider when doing critical reading from "A
Catalog of Critical Reading Strategies" in Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R.
Cooper's Reading Critically, Writing Well: A Reader and Guide in 1999, adapted
by Beth Gilmartin of Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
1. Annotating. One of the first strategies to begin with is annotating a text.
When you annotate, you underline important parts of the text, such as the
 thesis statement, topic sentences of body paragraphs and explanatory
material. Annotating may also include circling key words and writing
comments or questions you have about the material in the margins.
2. Contextualizing. When you contextualize a text, you place it within its
original historical or cultural context. As a reader you should try to identify
this context and consider how this context differs from your own. In order to
do this, you need to consider the following:
a. Language or ideas that appear foreign or out of date.
b. Your knowledge of the time and place in which the work was written.
c. The effect these differences have on your understanding and judgment of
the reading.
3. Reflecting on Challenges to your beliefs and values. Sometimes our beliefs
about an issue are difficult to express because they are so ingrained. In order
to discover these beliefs it is important to explore how a text challenges you.
Does it make you feel disturbed, threatened, ashamed, or inspired? Many of
you may have a strong reaction to some of the essays you read. This
reaction is a good example of an occasion when this type of reading strategy
can be used. In order to do this, you might try the following:
a. Identify the points in the text where you feel your beliefs are being
challenged.
b. Choose one or two of the most troubling challenges and analyze your
feelings about them.
4. Paraphrasing. When you paraphrase a text, you put it into your own words.
This can be helpful in understanding a difficult or ambiguous passage. It is
also one of the three ways to incorporate other people's ideas into your own.
The other two are quoting directly and summarizing. Unlike a summary, a
paraphrase contains all of the original information. The purpose of a
paraphrase is to simplify without changing any information. You are not
changing what is said, but how it is said.
5. Outlining. This can be used as a preliminary to summarizing. Outlining
allows you to identify the basic structure of a text and the main ideas of the
text. In an outline you are listing the main ideas and supporting evidence of a
text. It is especially important to be able to distinguish between the two. Use
your own words when outlining a text.
 6. Summarizing. Summarizing creates a new text by synthesizing the material
of the original. After outlining the text, the information is put together again
in your own words. Summarization fosters understanding of the text, as you
need to be able to recreate the meaning of the text in your own words.
7. Exploring figurative languages. Similes, metaphors, symbols etcetera, are
all examples of figurative language. This type of language helps writers
illustrate their points and get the type of reaction they want from the reader.
And if you're able to identify these, you're a good critical reader.

PRESENTER 5:

8. Looking for Patterns of Opposition. A writer may anticipate opposition to

his or her views by responding to them in some way. A writer may also have
conflicting views about the issues that are presented in the text. When
considering oppositions you might think of opposites like, yes, no; black,
white; etc. Writers will often present an argument by favoring one side of
opposing terms. In order to look for patterns of opposition you might do the
following:
a. Make two columns on a piece of paper and in the left-hand column list
words and phrases that seem to indicate opposition. In the right-hand column
write down the opposite to that phrase.
b. Make a note next to each pair which one the author prefers.
c. Come to a conclusion about what the writer wants you to believe based on
these preferred oppositions.
9. Evaluating the logic of an argument. The two parts of an argument are claim
and support. The claim is what the writer wants the reader to accept. That is,
the claim is the idea, opinion, or point of view of the writer. The support is
the reasons and evidence that becomes the basis for that claim. Arguments
must pass the ABC test. That is the argument must be,
a. Appropriate
b. Believable
c. Consistent
To test an argument for appropriateness you need to analyze it according to
logical fallacies, for instance false analogy, non sequitur, post hoc ergo
 propter hoc. To test for believability you will apply other fallacies that relate
to reasoning, such as begging the question, generalizations and failing to
accept the burden of proof. In testing for consistency you are checking to
make sure there are no contradictory statements.
10. Recognizing Emotional Manipulation. Writers are guilty of improper
emotional manipulation when they use false or exaggerated appeals. When a
writer acts as an alarmist, uses emotionally loaded words, like racist, or tries
to vilify the opposition, you, as reader, should be suspicious. Some of the
following are fallacies of emotional appeal.
a. Loaded or slanted language: language meant to get a specific reaction
from the reader.
b. Bandwagon effect: everyone else thinks this is true and so should you.
c. False flattery: praising the reader to get them to accept the writer's view.
d. Veiled threat: alarming or frightening readers into believing author.
PRESENTER 6:
11.Judging the writer's credibility. There are three ways that writers establish
their credibility.
a. By showing their knowledge of subject (using facts and statistics)
b. By building common ground with readers (base reasoning on shared
beliefs)
c. By responding fairly to objections and opposing arguments (does the
writer respond to objections or ignore them and assume everyone agrees
with him or her).
12.Analyzing the writing in other disciplines. Other disciplines have traditional
ways of writing about their subjects. As a critical reader, you need to be
aware of these differences.
a. What is the subject?
b. What kinds of statements tend to be made about subjects in this field?
c. What key concepts does the reader need to be familiar with?
d. What evidence is valued in this field?
 e. How are statistics presented?
f. How is field research presented?
g. How much description and narration is normally used? How much
interpretation and evaluation?
h. How are quotations cited?
i. How are other scholars cited?
j. How is the author identified in the writing?
k. Where was it originally published?
l. Which genres are most commonly used in a particular field?
There are many strategies that can be used in critical reading, but it doesn't matter
what strategy a critical reader will use as long as he/she will be able to read and
understand a text critically.
In conclusion, critical reading involves using logical and rhetorical skills.
Identifying the author's thesis is a good place to start, but to grasp how the author
intends to support it is a difficult task. More often than not, an author will make a
claim, most commonly in the form of the thesis, and support it in the body of the
text. The support for the author's claim is in the evidence provided to suggest that
the author's intended argument is sound, or reasonably acceptable. What ties these
two together is a series of logical links that convinces the reader of the coherence
of the author's argument: this is the warrant. If the author's premise is not
supportable, a critical reading will uncover the lapses in the text that show it to be
unsound.
PRESENTER 7:
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
In relation to critical reading, critical thinking is also perceived as its extension.
The phrase “critical thinking” is often misunderstood. “Critical”, in this case, does
not mean finding fault with an action or idea. Instead, it refers to the ability to
understand an action or idea through reasoning.
According to the website SkillsYouNeed.com, critical thinking might be described
as the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Critical thinking is
also the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection
between ideas. Critical thinking has been the subject of much debate and thought
since the time of early Greek philosophers such as Plato and Socrates and has
continued to be a subject of discussion into the modern age, for example the ability
to recognise fake news.
In essence, critical thinking requires you to use your ability to reason. It is about
being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of information.
Critical thinkers rigorously question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting
them at face value. They will always seek to determine whether the ideas,
arguments, and findings represent the entire picture and are open to finding that
they do not. Critical thinkers will identify, analyze, and solve problems
systematically rather than by intuition or instinct.
Someone with critical thinking skills can:
- Understand the links between ideas.
- Determine the importance and relevance of arguments and ideas.
- Recognize, build, and appraise arguments.
- Identify inconsistencies and errors in reasoning.
- Approach problems in a consistent and systematic way.
- Reflect on the justification of their own assumptions, beliefs and values.
There are skills that we needed for critical thinking. The skills that we need in
order to be able to think critically are varied and include observation, analysis,
interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem solving, and
decision making.
Critical thinking is thinking about things in certain ways so as to arrive at the best
possible solution in the circumstances that the thinker is aware of. In more
everyday language, it is a way of thinking about whatever is presently occupying
your mind so that you come to the best possible conclusion.
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OUTRO SPIELS:
The presentation about critical reading has ended. We hope you learned something
from this lesson. Thank you for listening!
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(Not included in recording)
Critical reading is:
 - the process of reading that goes beyond just understanding a text
- a form of language analysis that does not take the given text at face value,
but involves a deeper examination of the claims put forth as well as the
supporting points and possible counterarguments
- ability to reinterpret and reconstruct for improved clarity and readability
- employs certain process, models, questions and theories that result in
enhance clarity and comprehension
Here are the tips to be considered in performing reading critically:
- be prepared to be part of the writer's audience
- be prepared to read with an open mind
- consider the title
- read slowly
- use the dictionary and other appropriate reference works
- take down notes
- keep reading a journal
Here are the strategies to be considered in reading critically:
- annotating
- contextualizing
- reflecting on challenges to your beliefs and values
- paraphrasing
- outlining
- summarizing
- exploring figurative language
- looking for patterns of opposition
- evaluating the logic of an argument
- recognizing emotional manipulation
- judging the writer's credibility
- analyzing the writing in other disciplines